Arriving in Positano on the Amalfi Coast

June 11, 2015
As we drove along the scenic Amalfi coast road my heart skipped a beat once we approached Positano, the città with the homes which appear to jut out from the cliffs. Choosing this beautiful seaside location as the last place on this Italy experience was perfect, because by now, I looked forward to relaxing in a hotel with a view of the sea.

In 1953 John Steinbeck described Positano perfectly. “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would be a cliff except that stairs are cut in it. I believe that whereas most house foundations are vertical, in Positano they are horizontal. The small curving bay of unbelievably blue and green water lips gently on a beach of small pebbles. There is only one narrow street and it does not come down to the water. Everything else is stairs, some of them as steep as ladders. You do not walk to visit a friend, you either climb or slide.”

Michele, our entertaining Italian driver, left us at a parking garage in the upper part of the town, since vehicles cannot navigate any farther down. The streets narrow into pedestrian walkways and soon disappear and are replaced by staircases and inclined paths.

From here a porter from Hotel Pupetto, our beachfront hotel, met us and distributed our bags onto a wagon. Luckily for us we didn’t have to transport our bags by ourselves, although we had no idea what awaited us.

Excitement reigned as my travel companions and I eagerly began our downhill trek to the beach. Little did we know that we would traverse 300 steps before we would eventually arrive, hot and sweaty.

June on the Amalfi Coast seemed to be hotter than normal. In fact most of Italy was experiencing higher than normal temperatures. I was glad I was wearing capris and sandals.

As we drew closer to the hotel, we caught glimpses of the azure blue sea and the downhill walk immediately became totally worth it! I knew this was where I had longed to be and I felt a sense of sheer joy. And the best part was we had five days here!

Fornillo Beach at Hotel Pupetto in Positano

To reach the front desk we had to walk along a path and garden in full bloom with aromatic lemon trees, glorious bougainvillea in hues of magenta and purple, huge white snowball flowers,and other tropical flora.

A large beautifully decorated terrace restaurant extended to overlook the wondrous Tyrrhenian Sea, where small boats were buoyed.

We were escorted to our rooms by the friendly English-speaking hotel staff. Once I was inside the room and walked out onto the balcony I knew that I was in Paradise.

This was a dream come true–to realize that for the next five nights this view would be mine, and that the rhythmic sounds of the quiet waves would soothe me to sleep.

Now you know why this is my favorite place in Italy.

Stay tuned for more posts and photos about Positano, the jewel of the Amalfi Coast.

Have you been to Positano or long to visit? I’d love to hear your feedback. Please leave me comment and share your thoughts. Grazie!

You really have to EARN a week in Positano! I don’t mean money, I mean labor. I was looking at all those staircases cut into the cliff face. How on earth do people live and work while traveling up and down, well, really, stone ladders? You people are tougher than I am or ever was!

Ciao Margie! I love this post on Positano! I have been many times myself and have just published a book based on a summer my friend and I spent there. Please check it out- Love on the Rocks-A Positano Tale. After reading your post and just following you on Twitter, I think you’ll enjoy and appreciate the book. : ) Catie Costa

Anonymous

Wow! This is making me really look forward to visiting later this week. Hopefully, the sun will shine on us, as we’re planning to walk to a few beaches and maybe even swim if we’re brave enough! Can you recommend any of the surrounding bays/beaches too?

Forget it! Margie is addicted to the seaside of all of Italy. She always finds a way to kick off her sandals and do a little wading on her numerous trips. She will, without a doubt, recommend every inch of her beloved Bella Italia, lol.

Glad you will be going soon to my favorite place in Italy! I understand that the beach at Praiano is especially nice and not crowded.. Also Atrani has a nice beach although I have not personally been to either of these beaches.

.. Grazie Nicolò for commenting on a photo from my Italy Pics post. That caption about Verona refers to the photo just above. Thank you for reading and commenting. It is great to also know where this evening walk is! Grazie